Jon Cornish retires from Calgary Stampeders
CBC News | Posted: December 2, 2015 9:01 PM | Last Updated: December 3, 2015
Calgary Stampeders running back named CFL's most outstanding player in 2013
Calgary Stampeders running back Jon Cornish announced his retirement Wednesday after nine CFL seasons, three rushing titles and two Grey Cup rings.
- MORE CALGARY NEWS | Laid-off oilpatch worker buys fire truck to light up his job prospects
- MORE CALGARY NEWS | British Army vet spots missing medal for sale on Calgary website
The 31-year-old from New Westminster, B.C., was the CFL's leading rusher and top Canadian from 2012 to 2014. But he was limited to just nine games in each of the last two seasons due to injuries.
"All good things must come to an end," Cornish said as he made the announcement at McMahon Stadium.
The news does not come as a big surprise. Cornish suffered three head injuries in a span of just 16 months, including one in 2014 that sent him to the sidelines for six weeks.
He had hinted his playing days were over during interviews at the Grey Cup.
The three-time all-star spent his entire CFL career with the Stampeders. Despite making just 60 career starts, Cornish finished his career as the fourth-leading rusher in Stampeders history with 6,844 yards.
"You have literally made my dreams come true," said Cornish as he thanked his supporters.
Cornish said going forward he would like to be an advocate for brain health.
"This isn't me leaving football, it's just me leaving the field," he said.
Plagued by concussions
Cornish broke Normie Kwong's 56-year-old single-season rushing record for a Canadian with 1,457 yards in 2012. He then broke his own record the following year with 1,813 rushing yards.
He was awarded the Lou Marsh award for Canada's athlete of the year and was named CFL's most outstanding player in 2013. He also won Calgary's athlete of the year award four times.
"Jon was an exceptional player for this franchise and I congratulate him on an excellent career," said Stampeders general manager John Hufnagel, who was head coach for eight of Cornish's nine seasons in Calgary.
Cornish made just nine starts in 2014 but still led the league in rushing with 1,082 yards. The Stampeders went on to win the 2014 Grey Cup 2016 over Hamilton, though the Tiger-Cats held Cornish to 25 yards on nine carries.
"I'm very comfortable with my decision," said Cornish. "Over the years with this team, I feel we've been able to achieve everything that is possible to achieve both as a team and as an individual."